Day in the Life as a Dog with Separation Anxiety (and ADHD)

A first-person point of view look at Mika’s life, a 3-year old Maltese with separation anxiety.

My+owner+loves+taking+pictures+of+me%2C+so+I+always+pose.

My owner loves taking pictures of me, so I always pose.

Dina Elhaddad, Bear Hub Staff

Hi! My name is Mika, I’m a 3-year old Maltese who LOVES my owner. (Honestly, love might be an understatement.) Any who, I adore walks and car rides to the beach and the park–not the vet though, that’s a really scary place. Don’t even get me started on naps. I’ll nap at any time and place, as long as I’m with my owner. She’s great. Only when she’s with me though; it’s horrible when she’s away from me.

Usually every morning, around 7, my owner says at least, we both wake up to this annoying noise coming from her phone. I use it as a marker to start my day. I usually follow Dina into the bathroom and watch her get ready for the day. I’m always patient knowing that she won’t leave that early in the morning, considering most of her friends can’t drive yet. Immediately after she gets ready, she lets me out, but I have to make sure she’s standing by the back door and watching me. If she isn’t watching me, I usually throw a temper tantrum.

If it’s a school day, I usually just sit on her bed or on her lap and make sure she doesn’t leave my sight. On any normal day, I do just about the same. There’s always a chance that we go out to a park or on a car ride after her school day, or just later in the afternoon. My favorite park is definitely Thompson Park, in Jamesburg! I love going to watch the geese in the lake and playing in the big grass fields, as free as I can be. I lay down in the grass, and watch Dina and her sister do what they do on that concrete court, enjoying the taste of the green underneath me. Dina recently bought me a 50 foot leash so I can explore without interfering with nearby barbeques or those big dogs. She does so much for me, I don’t know why I’m so stuck to her like glue though.

It’s always insane that Dina thinks it’s a great idea to just leave me at the house. Seeing her walk out that door literally feels like the end of the world. I have no idea when I’ll see her next; the waiting game is my biggest enemy. Her excuse is always “I’m going to be back in 10 minutes, I’m going to Wawa.” No you’re not going to be back in 10 minutes, it’s probably going to be 5 years. 5 years of waiting at the front door, listening to any footsteps, watching out the window, looking for a person in sight. When she comes back, I’m always expecting her to enter first, but either way, I’ll go straight to her. Wagging my tail, I immediately lay down on my back waiting for belly rubs, unable to hold my bladder. Don’t tell Dina, but I usually spend about half of the time she’s gone to decide whether I should hold a grudge and ignore her or not. If I do choose to ignore her, it’s always great watching her beg for my forgiveness when I ignore her or just hide in my kennel out of grief and devastation. If she gives me a treat, maybe…just maybe I’ll think about forgiving her.

There can be no doubt that the humans around me make me the most spoiled, happiest dog ever. Walks, runs, naps, food especially, with Dina, just makes my day, everyday. Though Dina may leave my side sometimes, I still get to see her for 99.9% of the day, and that’s all I need.